Baby Sun Conures

[Michellel34]

I just brought home 2 new female sun conures they were born about Christmas Day so they are about 2 mos old I only want one but someone back out on getting the other so I brought it home also my problem is I thought they would be more friendly they don’t want to be held or touched they were a lot more friendly at the breeder when we went to get them they can fly even though the flight feathers are cut but not enough I am afraid they are not going to be tame even though they were handfed and held a lot any suggestions would be great to get them to bond with my husband and I and also I am comfort feeding them bird formula 1-2 times daily

 

[wrench13]

Raising 2 parrots,especially 2 of the same secies, is going to be difficult. They were clutch mates, and bird are not stpid, they know that YOU are not a bird, and they have each other for preening and play and bonding. I would seriously think about selling one of them, to a good home. Trying to socialize and keep these 2 tameis going to take a lot more work. Tht is my opinion.

 

[EllenD]

First of all, SLOW DOWN!!!!!

It makes no difference if they were hand-raised/hand-fed or not, you just brought them home to a totally new environment with new people, and no parrot is going to instantly bond with you, it doesn't work that way with parrots, they're not at all like puppies...So take a deep breath, "Hit the Reset-Button", and realize that you're both going to have to commit to spending ample time with them every single day and it's going to take a good amount of time for them to bond with you.

And just because they were "hand-raised" doesn't mean that they had a responsible or good breeder, the fact that you're having to feed them any formula-feedings at all is a very bad sign of a breeder who isn't very responsible at all...I bred parrots and hand-raised/hand-fed them for over 20 years, and I grew-up in a home where my mother and grandmother did the same for decades. And none of us would EVER allow a baby bird to go home with it's new owner until it was fully Abundance-Weaned, and that also means that it's no-longer crying/begging for "comfort feedings". If that meant that I kept the baby with me for an extra week or two before I let it go with it's new owner, then that's exactly what I did. So these two Sun Conures you have are clutch-mates that have been with each other since birth, they are not yet fully abundance-weaned and that can cause issues with insecurity, comfort, and trust, they are brand new to you and your husband as well as to your home, so they certainly don't trust you yet, and it's going to take a lot of time and effort on both your parts to earn their trust and to bond closely with them...

This is going to be a marathon, not a sprint, and it can still take months and months to earn the trust of and bond with a hand-raised baby parrot. For all you know their breeder didn't spend ANY TIME AT ALL handling them, playing with them, holding them, snuggling them, talking to them, sitting with them on their shoulder, etc. They may have not spent ANY TIME with them at all except for the short minutes it took them to hand-feed them their formula and that's it, that might be all the more time they were interacted with at all...And they may also have been "Tube/Crop-fed", meaning the breeder used a crop-needle to quickly fill their crops with formula and then put them back in the Brooder, the whole process taking no more than 20-30 seconds...So there are a million reasons why they aren't used to being handled right now that you aren't aware of...The fact that their breeder sold them while they are still taking any formula-feedings at all is a good sign that they were not the best of breeders...

So, you need to simply take a deep breath, SLOW DOWN, and realize that this process is likely going to take months and months, with each day you both spend with them talking to them, reading books to them, holding them (if they allow it, don't force them to do anything or you'll never earn their trust), sitting with them while you watch TV or do whatever it is you two do at home, eating your meals with them, playing with them, etc., and gradually every single day you'll see a little progress, and a little more progress, and a little more...There's no big secret to this, it all comes down to committment from the both of you, your time every single day, and your patience...And your love...

And as Wrench said, it is likely going to be much more difficult to bond closely with either bird if they are kept together, as they are clutchmates who have been together literally their entire lives, and they are extremely closely bonded to each other...So that can absolutely inhibit their wanting to bond with people...Sometimes it's not a problem, but a lot of the time it is...So if you were originally only planning on getting one young parrot to raise, bond closely with, and make a part of your family, it probably is best to stick to that plan...I don't really know what happened or why their breeder couldn't sell the other baby to someone else, they aren't even fully-weaned yet, so that tells me that there was some reason that their breeder wanted them both gone ASAP that I'm sure they didn't tell you (yet another sign that their breeder is less than responsible). Sun Conures are extremely popular and hand-raised babies sell quickly, and these two weren't even weaned when their breeder "gave" the other one to you??? Or did you buy both of them? Something isn't quite right there, maybe the breeder was tired of feeding them, maybe they couldn't afford any more formula, I don't know...But I would make a decision about keeping one or both of them soon and then stick to it, but I agree with Wrench that if your original plan was to only add one baby parrot to your family that you wanted to bond very closely with you and be your family, then you're best to stick to that original plan and re-home the second baby, or surrender it to a reputable Avian Rescue...though I wouldn't personally take it back to that breeder, something isn't quite right there...